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The Frugal Do-It-Yourselfer
Saving Money on Home Improvement Projects
Immediately I knew this was way out of my budget, but I still wanted to go with a laminate floor. I then started to price locations I found in the yellow pages, Internet and local PennySaver magazines. I learned that if I were to purchase and install flooring from distributors/wholesalers, I could save more than $1,000! Even better, if I could find a location that had an excess of a particular item in stock, then they would offer this at an unbelievable price (just like the one I found at $.49 per square foot).
Point is, if you are willing to do a little "digging" and research in order to find the lowest price available on your products, then you will be rewarded big time (just like I was). However, the flip side to that coin is if you are impatient and you want your remodeling to begin tomorrow, then most likely you will have to pay more for what you're looking for. It all depends on both your time and money situations.
Personally, for me, this was not a "must have done in two days" project, so I didn't mind spending two and a half months working on this in my spare time. I did save a ton of money, but it did take me much longer than if a contractor was hired to complete the job. Again, it all depends on your own personal situation. Just keep in mind that saving money on home improvement projects is possible if you are willing to get a little "dirty."
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